Growing Up and Getting By
by leafsubsidestoleaf
Summary: Jackie has to learn the lines between good and bad, and fast, all while dealing with boys, parents, and high school. She also has to find out who's there for her to catch her when she falls. Trying to find out is a little hectic, but she knows it will be worth it. But, she can't help but think it might not be...
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own S.E. Hinton's "The Outsiders" or A Fine Frenzy's "Now is the Start". All rights go to them. Enjoy! Xx – K_

_(A/N):_Hi everyone! Here is my new story! It will also be on WATTPAD under the same title (Growing Up and Getting By) and by the same user (leafsubsidestoleaf). I hope you enjoy it! Please R&R!

**June 5****th****, 1966**

_Do you hear that sound?_

_It's the sound of the lost gone found._

_It's the sound of a mute gone loud._

_It's the sound of a new start._

"Will you two stop it already?"

"Stop what?" Soda asked with a smile that would make teenage girls swoon.

"Stop looking at my cards!"

"We were doing no such thing! How dare you accuse us of that, Jacqueline!" Two-Bit yelled, while trying not to laugh.

"Just stop, ok? You know you're cheating," Jackie replied, annoyed.

After a few more minutes of playing cards, Jackie caught them again.

"That's it. I fold." As she got up, she heard playful protests from some of the boys around the table. She liked playing cards, and she was always prepared to beat one of the boys, but tonight she just wasn't feeling it.

It was nearing the end of the first week of summer, and the week had been exactly like it had been for the last few years. Her and Pony always went to see a movie to kick off summer, then the guys who actually went to school and her would all go bowling. And now they were all celebrating by playing cards.

She walked from the small table surrounded by the teenagers, over to the couch. She slumped down to next to Pony, who was reading the _This Side of Paradise_ by F. Scott Fitzgerald. She tapped his shoe to get his attention.

"How come you're not playin' cards?" Pony asked, not that interested.

"Your brother kept cheating," she said loud enough for Soda to hear and deny the statement.

"Why do you think I don't like playing with him?" Pony said with a chuckle.

After a few seconds of silence, Pony went back to his book. He liked Jackie and she was awful great to discuss movies with, but sometimes it was awkward. The feeling was mutual. Jackie got up from the couch and walked back to the table. Leaning over Soda, she announced his cards to the other players, then walked outside before Soda could retaliate.

Immediately stepping outside, the warm, summer air wrapped around her like a blanket. She sat down on the porch step and pulled out a smoke. As Jackie inhaled and exhaled, she thought about the night. She was trying to figure out when, and if, she should go home. She didn't want to go home, but she didn't want to stay at the Curtis' for another night. She always felt like she was intruding, despite Soda telling her she wasn't. She could stay at Two-Bit's but it was still too close to home. Her mom would probably see or hear her.

A few nights ago when her mom was working, she was fed up with her mom's behavior. Especially her alcoholic behavior. So she poured out all the bottles of vodka and whiskey in the house, which amounted to five bottles. There were another two bottles of wine and one scotch, so she just took those over to Steve's. He could always go for scotch. Before her mom got back to find the alcohol missing, Jackie headed over to the Curtis' before a fight could break out. She knew she had to go back sometime, but tonight she still wasn't ready.

She was almost done with the cigarette when she heard the door swing open. She turned her face up to Steve, who was already lighting up a cancer stick.

"Did Soda and Two-Bit cheat you too?"

"No, I'm not that dumb to let 'em," he told her with a wink.

"Hey, can I stay at your place tonight?" before he could answer, Jackie added, "My mom's probably still on a war-path."

"Kid, you know you don't have to ask, but my dad's bein' awful this week. I'm probably just stayin' here."

"Oh ok, I'll just stay with Two-Bit then, I guess."

"Why not here? You know they don't care."

"I've stayed here for the last three nights."

"Just stay. You're already here."

"Jackie, you're right. I damn sure wouldn't want your ass sleepin' on my couch for three nights," said a hoarse voice from a few feet away.

Jackie turned her head to the sound of the chain-linked fence being shut. She saw Dallas looking like he thought his dig at her was hilarious. She would've retaliated, but nothing came to mind, so she just rolled her eyes when he stepped closer. She wouldn't say she hated Dallas Winston, but she would say disliked. She didn't know why they didn't like each other, but they always were at each other's throats. She could tell that the other guys got annoyed with their aggravating quarrels, and she tried to make amends a few times, but nothing worked.

Dallas leaned against the railing and started to share in the smoking group. He thought of saying something snarky, but due to her silence, he couldn't come up with anything to say. He looked down at her face that was illuminated by her smoke. He didn't care for her, but he had to admit she was pretty tuff. Yeah, he had met girls more tuff than her, but she was ok. She handled all the shit he threw at her pretty damn well. He hated to, but he commended her for that.

"Alright, well I'm going inside," she mentioned as she stubbed out her butt.

"You want me to call the paper, sweetie?" Dally taunted.

"You're too stupid to even dial the number," Jackie retorted. Steve laughed and Dally gave him a cold glance. Jackie giggled at the boys before she opened the door. When she stepped inside, Johnny and Pony were watching the Johnny Carson show, while Two-Bit and Soda were talking about some Shepard member and some greaser girl. She went over to the table and pulled out a chair next to Sodapop.

"No way did Jane Robinson do that!" Soda said wide-eyed.

"That's what Tom said. Boy, Anne looked pissed!"

"What happened?" Jackie asked, wide eyed. She was one of the biggest gossips in Tulsa.

"I'd tell you but I wouldn't wanna make you blush," he said, smirking at Soda.

"C'mon, I wanna know!" Jackie begged. "Please?"

Two-Bit proceeded to tell a story about how Anne's boyfriend cheated on her with her best friend, Jane. Two-Bit tried to tell the story as smutty as possible to make her blush, but to his discretion, she never did. She did, however, bite her lip and look uncomfortable, which was enough to satisfy Two- Bit's need to embarrass his friend.

A few seconds after Two-Bit finished, Darry came into the house looking a little frazzled. He was carrying a bag of groceries that looked like it was about to tumble out of his arm.

"Hey, Dar. Where've you been?" Pony asked.

"Oh, I had to get some groceries after work," Darry replied. Pony looked at him oddly. He didn't get why his brother had gone grocery shopping for so long, but dismissed his thoughts when Darry stepped back outside. Sometimes, he just didn't get his big brother.

Shortly after Darry went outside again, Jackie got up to help him with the groceries, considering no one else volunteered. She stepped outside and look to the left at Darry just sitting, dazed, on the bench. She shrugged it off and went to get more groceries out of his truck. When she returned, he still hadn't moved. She placed the groceries down on the step, and then went to sit next to him.

"You okay?" she asked, voice traced with worry.

"They're gonna fire people at work," he explained. "What if I lose my job? What if I lose them? What if this just ain't gonna work?"

She sighed, not knowing what to say. His questions were hard ones that not many people knew the answer too. She was one of them. Ever since Mr. and Mrs. Curtis died, he'd have these days. He would feel pinned down and nothing in the world could lift him up. Jackie tried hard to comfort him, but she couldn't. She was imagining life without Pony and Soda. She imagined them in a boys' home. She tried as hard as she could to just push all those bad thoughts away, but it was hard.

"I went to their grave today," Darry said with a cloud of sadness covering his face. Her heart couldn't help but break a little bit when his voice quivered at the word _grave_. She missed his parents like crazy and she could barely imagine how much Darry and his brothers missed them. Everyone in the gang missed them; even Dallas. Sure, he didn't cry every few weeks like Pony and Soda, but Jackie could tell. He had gotten a little meaner, and whenever someone said something about them, his face turned to stone and he tried to change the subject as fast as he could.

"I just talked to them, you know?" Darry told her.

"They would've been proud of you," she mumbled, regarding his decision to keep Soda and Pony. "You know that, right?" she said more defiantly, not knowing if he did.

"Oh, I know. It's just… some days it feels like the odds are against me… c'mon, let's go inside."

As he got up and walked towards the door, he heard her giggle a little bit and turned around when her soft voice said his name. "Yeah?"

"The groceries."

He smiled and picked the ones off the step as she got the rest from the car. When they returned inside, everyone was still just hanging around. She wondered if Darry ever got bothered with everyone always at his house, but she knew he probably didn't. He was a good guy, after all.

Two- Bit hollered through the door, "I'll see y'all later!"

Steve shouted back an "Ok" and then they were out the door. Two-Bit slung his arm around her shoulders and said, "So, you've survived one whole year of ol' Will Rogers."

She chuckled softly, "Yeah, I guess so. One down, three to go."

"Or five if you're me."

They walked through the dark neighborhood as crickets chirped and street lights flickered. She breathed it all in, knowing September would be here far too soon. They turned the corner, and she took in a sharp breath. She stared at the woman who she called mother, smoking on the porch of her house. Two- Bit followed her gaze, and yanked her back around the corner.

"Wanna just wait it out?" he whispered. She thought about saying no, and not being a coward, but she nodded her head anyway.

After a few minutes, Jackie peeked around the corner when she heard a car door shut. She knew her mom would drive past her sitting in the bushes in around twenty seconds. Maybe less…

"Make a run for it?" Two-Bit asked.

She shook her head. "That'll be more suspicious. Just hide." They crouched down more and got a little behind the bushes belonging to one of her neighbors. She didn't realize she was holding in her breath, until her head started to hurt. She let the breath go once she heard the old clunker turn right, opposed to left. Jackie and Two-Bit sat up and continued walking down the street.

"You can stay over if you want," Two-Bit offered.

She considered her options. Her mom was still pissed, but she had face her some time. After thinking for a few more moments, she realized some time wasn't gonna be this time, so she answered, "Yeah, ok. Let me run in though, to change and check on Tubbs."

Tubbs was her cat that she found one night outside of Buck's. She found him a few months ago, and he'd gotten significantly fatter. Hence his name. She remembered Dally's face when she picked the kitten up.

"_Dallas, look!" she exclaimed, stepping toward the stray kitten._

"_What about it? It's just a cat."_

"_I think I'm gonna keep him," Jackie stated while packing the little fur ball up and petting its head._

"_Jackie, it's probably gonna bite you. It probably has rabies, too," Dally said, talking through his smoke. _

_Turning around to face him, she told him, "I don't care, I'm taking him home." _

"_No. No way," Dallas objected pointing at it. "If that thing shits in my car, I swear to God…"_

"_What you'll hit me?" she challenged, knowing he wouldn't. "Besides, it's not your car, it's Buck's."_

"_Whatever, if that thing craps in the car, Buck will have my ass on a platter, not yours."_

"_Relax, would ya? I'll keep my eye on him," Jackie replied while walking to the car. She turned around and leaned against the T-Bird. "Would you come on already? Or are you gonna stand in the parking lot all fucking night."_

_He reluctantly gave in and walked to the car as slow as possible to piss her off. When he got into the car he looked at her smiling at the creature and murmured, "Ridiculous." Her smile only got wider. Jackie was happy she got a cat and got her way._

As they stepped into her house, Tubbs ran toward them. Two-Bit picked him up and pet him a bit while she poured some food into his bowl. She groaned at the sight of fresh liquour bottles. Two-Bit noticed and teased, "You gonna pour those out, too?"

"Don't put it past me," she responded, walking down the hall to her room, as Two-Bit followed.

"Hey, do you know a James Graham? Goes by Jimmy sometimes?" She shook her head as she grabbed a shirt from her drawer.

"He goes to Will Rogers. He was in our study hall. Brown hair, kinda skinny?"

She paused for a moment before realizing she did know him. "Oh, I know who you're talking about. He was in algebra with me. English too, I think. He always slept during classes. Ditched a lot, too. What about him?"

"Well, Kathy's friends with Betty, his sister. Word is he's got a crush on you," Two-Bit said with wagging eyebrows.

"Oh please, I don't even know him," Jackie said as she threw in a few things into a bag.

"Well he knows you."

She zipped the bag and gave a goodbye belly rub to her kitty. They walked out of the house and a few feet over to Two-Bit's. He was walking up the steps, rambling about some other gossip chain.

"Hey, keep it down. You're mom and sister are probably sleepin'."

"Good point," he whispered.

They crept inside quietly and Two-Bit turned on a lamp. "Hey, you hungry? My mom made pumpkin pie a few days ago.

"Sure, cut me a slice. I'll be right back."

She maneuvered her way around the dimly lit house toward the bathroom. She was about to walk in before she heard a few soft cries in the room over. She walked a few feet forward to Two-Bit's sister Linda's, door. She knocked quietly a few times.

"Linda? Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine."

"Can I come in?" Jackie asked, already opening the door. Linda was sitting on her window seat with stray tears on her cheeks. "You wanna talk? It's fine if not…"

"It's just.. I'm upset," Linda paused. "My friends and I are just having a fight. They're mad at some things I said. They said I was always mean to them. What bothers me though, is they won't say what I said. They could've said something when I said whatever I said," Linda explained with a few fresh tears spilling over."

Jackie reached across her to grab a tissue box. She offered Linda a Kleenex before saying, "You, know when I was around your age, a little younger, I was kinda going through the same thing. But, it kind of helped me. I found out who my real friends were. It was tough at first, but then I met some great people; including your brother. Now I have way better friends than ever." Jackie realized she didn't have a moral to the story. "I guess, my point is that it takes a few weeds in the garden to weed them out."

Linda stopped sniffling and looked up at the older girl. "What?"

"You've just gotta find out who aren't your friends before you find the real deal. Take some time over the summer to hang out with other people, ok?"

"Okay… Thanks Jackie."

"Anytime," Jackie said with a smile. She got up and was about to walk out, but turned around. "You know, you can talk to me anytime. I'm over here a lot and if you ever feel like you can't talk to your mom, or Two-Bit, you can come to me." She stopped before saying, "Me and Two-Bit are gonna eat some pumpkin pie. Wanna join us?"

Linda looked like she was gonna say no, but the she got up. Linda and Jackie walked out of the room, and Jackie smiled, glad she could help. She couldn't believe Linda was gonna be fourteen soon. She remembered her being a nine year old trying to hang out with the big kids whenever the gang was at Two-Bit's.

Two-Bit was sitting on the couch, eating what looked like his second slice. Jackie got her slice he had cut her from the counter as Linda cut hers from the pan. They all sat around the living room talking about adventures they had had from the school year that ended merely a week ago and what they plan to do during the summer. After thirty minutes, Linda yawned and announced she was going to bed. Two-Bit waited to hear Linda's door shut before looking at Jackie with an eyebrow raised.

"What?" she asked, gathering the dirty plates from around the coffee table.

"What were you and Linda talking about?"

"It's a secret. If I tell you, I'd have to kill you," she teased as she placed the plates in the sink and started washing them.

"Hey, you can take my bed, if you want. Haven't slept in it for awhile," Two-Bit offered.

"No, it's fine. It's your bed, you can take it."

"Jackie, you've slept on Darry's recliner for the last three days and you're washing dishes you didn't make dirty. Take the bed." She knew he was right. Darry's recliner was pretty uncomfortable after a while. She gave in as she dried the last dish.

"Goodnight, Two-Bit," she told him as he got set up on the couch.

"Night, Jacks."

She walked down the hall to his room. She was always amused when she stepped inside. For as messy as Two-Bit was and as grown up Two-Bit was, his mama still cleaned up his room. There were only a few clothes piled up near his closet drawer, his knick knacks were all in the right place, and his bed was always made up. She crawled into the simple sheet set and curled up into fetal position.

Jackie did what she always did before going to sleep. She thought of everything that happened that day. She thought about how the guys and her crammed into a small booth at Jay's, she thought about Soda and Two-Bit peeking at her cards, her conversation with Darry, and her conversation with Linda. She smiled before closing her eyes.

Just another good day to what she hoped was going to be a great summer.

_With a mouth of shooting stars_

_Of lost and broken hearts._

_Unafraid you can name your scars_

_With a touch of a new heart._


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I do not own S.E. Hinton's "The Outsiders" or Vanessa Carlton's "Ordinary Day." All rights go to them. Enjoy! Xx – K_

**June 8****th****, 1966**

_Just a day,_

_Just an ordinary day._

_Just trying to get by._

Jackie had successfully avoided her mom for about a week. She knew she needed to go home instead of mooching off of all her friends. She rounded the corner and sighed when she saw that her mom was home.

"Great," she muttered to herself. She kept walking and decided to walk around the block to plan what to say. Pulling out her pack of cigarettes, she realized her mom probably wasn't _that_ mad. She probably had gotten more alcohol by now, but she probably was mad at the amount of money poured down the drain.

The block had come to her house and she had to get the strength to even walk up the driveway. She opened the door, praying that her mom wasn't sitting in the living room so she'd have time to go to the bathroom and change out of worn clothes.

No such luck.

"Where have you been?"

"I was staying with Pony," she lied. She said Pony because Elaine found out somehow that the new friends of hers had records, and Pony was as clean as a whistle. Elaine thought her daughter was going to end up in a women's prison just because she was friends with "those hoods." Jackie hated nothing more when her mom actually tried to be one. She didn't deserve to act motherly and try to control Jackie when she wasn't even being a mother the other eighty percent of the time.

"Why do they need _my_ liquor?"

Jackie looked at her, quite confused. "What?'

"Did they take all my liquor so they could get you and drunk and fuck you?" she accused. "They have to get you wasted to 'be fun.' That it?"

"No." she responded, enraged. "I poured it all out. All down the drain." She had given some to Steve, but she didn't want to give her mom any kind of victory.

"Why?" Elaine asked her simply.

"Because you need to stop! It's disgusting! I'm actually ashamed you are my mother. I hope you know that."

"Don't you dare talk to me like that, Jacqueline!"

"I can talk to you however I want!" Jackie saw the hand coming toward her before she could react.

Elaine grabbed her arm. "Do not talk to me like that, understand?"

Jackie ripped away her arm violently, shortly wondering if she could beat her own mother in a fight. She figured she could, but she didn't want to test her theory. She never answered her mom on purpose as she slightly power walked to her room. She put her hand on the door knob, but said something after all.

"Just because you're a whore doesn't mean I am."

She opened the door, got inside, and closed it in about a second. She slid down the door, and just cried into her hands. She couldn't remember the last time she actually loved her mom. She always tried to find the good in people and never tried to hate a soul. That just made her cry more.

The one person she hated most in the entire world was her mother.

She remembered back when she was a kid. She remembered sitting in between her mom and dad and watching cartoons. She remembered falling asleep in her dad's arms while watching _Lady and the Tramp._ That was one of the memories she could remember about her dad.

She knew exactly why her dad left. It was the same reason she wanted to leave. It was Elaine. Horrible flashbacks of her mom talking bats to her dad's car, them screaming in the middle of the street, her always accusing him of stuff he didn't do.

She remembered his face when he realized she was watching him leave through the window. It was mixed with sadness, relief, and sleepiness. She couldn't blame him for not looking like he regretted his decision. It took him all of two minutes to leave. She was upset, and figured she always would be, for him not taking her with or saying goodbye. But as much as she was upset about it, she had to commend his courage. She felt like she could never get in her car and drive away. She wasn't sure what it was that held her back, but there was certainly something.

She got up and wiped away her tears. She took a shower and tried to look forward to the rest of the day.

XXXXXX

"Peter, Paul, and Mary or The Beach Boys?" Pony asked.

"Beach Boys," Soda and Jackie said in unison.

Soda took a gulp of his Pepsi before saying, "My turn, The Who or The Doors?"

"The Who," Pony answered.

"No way! The Doors definitely. Come on, I mean, Jim Morrison? I'd pick him any day."

"Over Johnny Cash?" Pony challenged.

"Do you know me at all? No one beats Johnny Cash. He beats everyone."

"Even me?" Two-Bit inquired as he sauntered up to the group.

She scoffed, "Yes, even you."

Pony stubbed out his cigarette, and they all went inside. Two-Bit grabbed a beer from the ice box, as the others plopped down on the couch. "Hey anybody wanna go see a movie tonight?" Pony asked no one specifically.

"Sorry, kid. I gotta date," Soda confessed.

"With who?" Jackie interrogated.

"She just moved here. She stopped at the DX a few days ago looking for directions. I guess I was just so charming, we hit it off," Soda bragged. "Her name's Sandy something."

"You got plans, Jackie? They're playing that new movie with Paul Newman."

"I know." When Pony looked at her sideways, she explained further. "It's my first night tonight."

"Oh, right I forgot," Pony mumbled.

"Hey, can you get me a discount for my popcorn?" Two-Bit chimed in.

"I doubt I could on my first day," she scoffed. She was actually excited for the first day of her new job. She got a job managing the concession stand down at the drive in. It was perfect for her. She loved movies and she was excited to be able to catch clips while handing out popcorn.

"I'll go with ya Pony. Heard there's a new cute cashier at the concession stand," Two-Bit declared.

She slapped his arm playfully and got up. They bantered a bit, so she was walking backward so she could face him. she knew she was close to door so she turned around. Right when she turned around, the door smacked her hard in the face. Her face flew up to her throbbing nose as she felt blood pour out. She heard Dallas laughing his ass off and figured he was the one who was opened the door on her face.

"God damn it, Dallas!" Jackie yelled as she tilted her head back.

"How the hell would I know your standing in front of the fucking door?" he argued back. "Stop tilting you're head back. It makes it worse."

"Oh, thanks for the tip!" Jackie remarked with her voice dripping with sarcasm. Despite her anger at him, she did what he said, figuring that he'd gotten his fair share of bloody noses in fights. She sat down on the couch as Dallas searched the fridge for something cold for her nose. She scolded Two-Bit, Pony, and Soda for laughing as he walked back into the living room with two coke bottles.

He handed her one and popped open the other one. He took one gulp then looked back at her.

"What now?"

"No ice?" she blurted.

"That'll work just as well."

She rolled her eyes and held it to her nose. He smiled a little at the whole thing as he took another drink.

XXXXXX

"That'll be sixty cents. Enjoy the movie," she told two greasers. She was sure they were laughing at her purple nose once they walked away. Just like the thirty other people she rang up. She could kill Dallas.

She stepped a few inches away from the cash register and leaned against the wall.

"Havin' fun yet?" asked a coworker. Jackie glanced up from her shoes and looked forward as she heard cackling laughter that could only be one person. The co-worker followed her gaze and asked, "Friends of yours?"

"You bet."

She stepped toward the cash register and looked at the group making their way to the register. She was surprised to see such a big group when she figured it would only be Pony and Two-Bit. She smiled as she saw Evie and Kathy. She was surprised when Dally and Sylvia brought up the end of the gang. She thought they were quits.

"What do y'all want?" Jackie asked, surveying all the heads. Everyone started talking at once and she rolled her eyes. She felt like this would happen a lot as long as she kept this job.

"Guys, come on. Really. Do you even want anything?" she ranted, seeing more kids come in behind them. The guys ordered for their girlfriends and themselves, then waited on Jackie continuously scooping popcorn into containers. One by one, they all left. Dally was the last one, and paid for everyone. He handed her a few bucks and she looked at him incredulously.

She took them from his hand. "That's generous of you. I figured you guys wouldn't even pay."

He shrugged.

"Okay. Fifty cents is your change," she said, handing him a two quarters. He wasn't taking it so she sighed.

"Pony and Johnny will be here soon. I'll pay for 'em in advance. They'll probably get popcorn. If not, keep the change."

"Thanks?"

"Had to do something for busting up your nose. You know everyone who walks through here is probably laughing at ya, right?"

"Thanks for reminding me," she uttered, watching him amble away.

"Don't mention it," he hollered over his shoulder.

About ten minutes later, Pony and Johnny stumbled into the concession stand, just like Dally predicted. They ordered popcorn and two Pepsis. When Pony searched his pocket, she held up her hand to stop him.

"Don't worry about it. It's covered."

"I thought you said no discounts," Pony pondered.

"Dally came through here a while ago. He paid for you guys. Go on, everyone's already watching the movie."

Pony gave her a smile and started stepping away, already stuffing his face with popcorn. He turned around when he realized Johnny wasn't beside him. "You coming, Johnny Cake?"

"I'll be there in a second," Johnny assured. He turned back around and faced Jackie.

"How's it goin'? The job, I mean."

"Pretty good I guess. Everyone's trying not to laugh at me because of my nose," she smiled. "I can tell you are too."

He grinned. "You're right about that… Hey, what are you doin' after this? I think everyone's going and hangin' out at Pony's? Wanna come? Two-Bit learned this new drinking game he wants to teach."

"I don't know, I might go home. I'm already getting tired."

"Okay, well, see you later maybe."

She watched him join the others. Dally and Sylvia were making out, as were Evie and Steve. Two-Bit and Kathy were mocking them. Pony was the only one actually watching the film, until Johnny got over there.

As much as she wanted to hang out, she hadn't slept in her own bed in what felt like forever. She figured she'd pass tonight. She had a whole summer, after all.

Around thirty minutes and ten customers later, she tried to catch a glimpse of Paul Newman in the movie everyone was there to see. She couldn't see him, but she heard the majority movie. She glanced around, looking to see if any more people were coming. She didn't see anyone walking towards her, but she did notice the kid Two-Bit said liked her hanging out with friends on the little patio outside the concession stand. After she realized he was there, she caught him glancing at her every few minutes. She didn't recognize any of his friends except for Curly Shepard.

She was pretty good friends with Curly during the school year, but whenever summer rolled around, they never talked much. They just ran in different circles. At school, they were usually in the same classes and would sit together every once in a while at lunch. She liked him ok, but he took too much pride in the role of _Tim Shepard_'s little brother.

"Hey, you can take like a ten minute break if you want," her co-worker, who she found out was named Donna, interjected. Jackie nodded and went through the back exit to smoke a cigarette.

XXXXXX

"Jimmy, you've been staring at her all night, just stop being a pussy and talk to her for Christ's sake," Curly told him

"She's gone," Jim argued. "I didn't know she worked here," he told them for the umpteenth time.

He didn't know why he liked her. She was real pretty and from what little info Curly gave him about her, she seemed tuff enough. They had only talked less than a handful of times. He figured she probably had eyes on one of the guys from Winston's gang, anyway.

"You know, most of time, there's a porch on the back of stores so the workers can take a break," one of his friends suggested, seemingly annoyed that the hang out was him stalking his dream girl. Before the hood could even finish his sentence, Jim was up on his feet, circling the building.

She was smoking and almost fantasized of sleeping her bed. She heard a few footsteps, and turned her head. She figured it was just one of the guys, but she was surprised to find Jim looking at her.

"Hey, James, right?" she questioned, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah. You can call me Jim too," he confirmed.

"Well, I'm Jackie," she told him, watching smoke dissipate into the night.

"When do you get off?" he asked. About two seconds later, he realized how dirty that sounded. "I mean, when your shift is over…" She chuckled at him. As she laughed, the moon lit her face up, and he realized how purple her nose was. He could tell it was swollen when he was watching her inside.

"Who did that to you?" he blurted, pointing at her swollen nose.

"Dallas… well a door…" she explained, realizing how it was coming off as James looked at her skeptically. "Don't worry about it. He didn't do it on purpose. As much of an ass as he is, he'd never hurt a girl. On purpose, anyway." she giggled, touching her nose. He smirked at her soft giggle. He moved from the wall and sat beside her on a step.

"I'm closing, so I won't be free until maybe midnight. Maybe a little earlier."

His shoulders slumped. He figured she was lying and already had plans or this was his one chance to ask her out and she was about to get up and leave.

"Oh, ok," he whispered. There was an awkward silence between them, so he decided to break it. "Are you with anybody?"

"Nope," she replied, popping the "p."

"Really? Thought you were with Curtis or Winston."

"Winston?" she wondered, wide-eyed. "What made you think that?"

"You go to parties sometimes at Buck's together. and you know what people do at Buck's parties…"

She wanted to puke at the thought. "No. No. We're just friends. If that," Jackie chuckled.

"Wanna go over to Charlie's after you're done? They're open pretty late."

Jackie opened her mouth to reject him, but she realized how stunning his eyes were. For just brown eyes, there was a certain beauty about them. They looked mischievous, but calm. "Sure."

XXXXXX

"Bye Donna! See you later!" Jackie shouted, turning to leave. She watched James smoking on the patio. All of his friends had left and she walked slowly to meet him. she wasn't quite sure what she was doing. He was attractive and she knew he liked her, so she figured, _what's the worst that could happen?_

"Ready?" James queried as he held an arm out.

Jackie didn't respond and hooked her arm in his. They walked in silence to his car and once they reached it, she gasped.

"You like?" regarding his cherry red mustang.

She nodded, mouth agape. She couldn't help but wonder how he had such a nice car.

"My dad's a huge motor head. Blew most of our money on this baby ten years ago. He got a new car earlier this year, so I got this one."

She nodded in approval. He let go of her arm, and walked to the driver's side. Jackie, disappointed that he didn't open her door, rolled her eyes. She yanked open the door and climbed inside. The inside was almost as nice as the outside.

The drive to Charlie's was short, due to James' speeding. He must have realized her disappointment when he didn't open her door back at the movies, because he did it this time. He helped her out of the car, and they walked up to the door. When they stepped inside, they were surprised that it was so full on a Wednesday, but it was summer. They grabbed a booth and James ordered them both Pepsis. She knew he was probably trying to be cool and order for her, but she was a Coca Cola person… not Pepsi.

"What are you hungry for?"

"Well, I've been snacking on popcorn all night, so I'm not that hungry. What are you gonna get?" she spoke, resting her chin in her hand.

"Probably a burger. Wanna split some fries?"

"Sounds great."

They didn't really talk much until their food came.

"Excited for summer?" she asked to get their conversation going.

"Yeah, I guess. How 'bout you?"

"Well, I'm gonna try to make this the best summer ever."

"Can I help out with that?" he wondered, winking at her.

"We'll see," she replied with a smile. "Were we in English together, right? Mrs. Harrison?"

"Yeah. Weren't you the one that she made go up to the board and write "read" like a million times?"

Jackie laughed, remembering it. The teacher gave the class twenty minutes to read and she was passing notes with Curly, talking about some kind of gossip. Mrs. Harrison caught her red handed, so she got in trouble instead of Curly. Because they were supposed to read, Mrs. Harrison demanded her to write "read" 200 times. It really defeated the purpose though, because the entire class watched her instead of reading. "Yeah. Yeah, I was."

"Maybe we'll be in more classes together this year."

After that, their chatter consisted of things that happened through the school year and mean teachers. When the night came to an end, they got back in the mustang, that was apparently named "Sheila," and James drove her to Jackie's house.

He walked Jackie to her door, as they laughed at some joke he had told. She turned to face him and stared at his pretty eyes, again. "Thanks for the food. I'll give you a discount next time you're at the movies." She looked at his lips, then his eyes, then her feet. "This was fun."

"Yeah, we'll have to do it again sometime," Jim agreed.

He leaned into her and just shy of kissing her, she turned her face and backed away a little bit.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. She wasn't sure if he heard her over the crickets. Trying to avoid an awkward goodnight, which it sort of already was, she spoke up again. "I'm working tomorrow. Same shift. You can come by if you want to. We could go out after that."

"I'll hold you to that." he leaned in and got her cheek again. Instead of backing away, he kissed her cheek this time. They said their goodbyes and he headed back to his car. While he drove away, he felt like kicking himself. She probably did like Dallas and lied through her teeth earlier. Why wouldn't she let him kiss her if that wasn't that case?

She changed into pajamas as fast as she could and curled into bed. She thought of walking over to Soda's, considering everyone was probably still over there, but she decided against it. She still didn't get why James had his sights set on her, but she couldn't help but smile while thinking about him. He got more and more attractive through the night. She didn't know why she wouldn't let him kiss her, but she would let him next chance she got.

XXXXXX

Soda sat in the car, thinking about how well that date had gone. Sandy wasn't a greasy girl by any means, but she wasn't socy either. She was perfect. He turned off the car and walked up to the steps of the house, hearing Two-Bit's shouting already.

He wasn't one to kiss and tell, but with this girl of his, he was ready to tell anyone who was interested about how extraordinary Sandy was. Hell, he'd tell them even if they weren't interested.

When he walked in, Darry and Pony were watching TV, as the others all crowded around the table that had cups of what he only assumed was beer on top of it. He took off his shoes, and joined the table.

"That's fucking stupid. That's impossible to do," Dally exclaimed.

"All you gotta do is pour it through this cup, Dallas," Two-Bit explained to him, once again.

"But how is that even gonna pour through the other cup?" Johnny inquired.

"That's the game!"

"A stupid game," Steve muttered as he walked to Soda. "How was the date?"

"It was great. She's amazing. Beautiful, sweet, funny…"

"She put out?" Dally smirked.

"No. She's better than that," Soda snapped. "Where's Jackie?"

"I don't know. She said she was gonna come by," Johnny told them.

"Really? Because I saw her get into James Graham's car," Two- Bit challenged.

Pony sat up. "You mean Jimmy? What's she doin' with him."

"I can only imagine," Two-Bit cackled.

"No way. Jackie's a total prude, Two-Bit," Dally added.

Two-Bit dismissed Dally's comment and turned back to Ponyboy."How do you know him?"

"I've hung out with him and Curly a few times. He's an okay guy. But, one time someone bumped into him, and he flipped.

Dally mumbled, "Of course Jackie would go for a total psychopath."

"Takes one to know one," Steve teased, slapping Dally's head.

Two-Bit sighed, "He was probably having a bad day. His sister is best friends with Kathy, and I've never heard anything bad about him, except that he's in Shepard's gang… Alright let's try this game again, guys."

Steve, Dallas, and Johnny all groaned and walked away to join the others on the couch.

"Whatever," Two-Bit shrugged, taking one of the cups full of beer and downing it. When he was done, he felt sick.

It was piss warm.

_Touch the stars for time will not flee._

_Time will not flee._

_Can you see?_

_(A/N):___Hey everybody! Hope you enjoyed the second chapter! What do you think of James? Do you think he's a good match for Jackie? Or do you think she could do better? Please review!


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